Vicarious
by Ayn504
Summary: A collection of drabbles and oneshots featuring Sora. Current: Sora has a little trouble adjusting to his new form in the Pridelands.
1. Woodwind

Prompt #33 "Cold"

Riku/Sora/Kairi

-o-o-o-o-

My friends offer me warmth when I am the iciest.

**Woodwind**

"The islands must be sick too," Sora murmured to himself, watching the rain patter against the window.

Overexertion was his main downfall, he realized. It had only been a few days since finally returning home, and with the adrenaline wearing off, weeks of constant battling finally had a chance to catch up with him. He remembered coming home with a twinge of embarrassment; instead of the happy reunion with his parents he had pictured, he had stood on the doorstep in front of them, muttered a "hello", and then simply collapsed at their feet.

And still, after all the sleep and visits from old friends, after all the attention from his mother he found he'd sorely missed after being away for so long, Sora found he still couldn't get out of bed. Like a lead weight, he thought bitterly. His joints ached fiercely, and his limbs felt so heavy he found himself wondering if he'd sink right through the mattress.

A cool wind seeped through the cracks in the wood of his room, sending a chill through his entire body. He shivered and pulled the blankets to his chin.

"You're still awake, Sora?" Kairi was in the room now, stepping over clothes and shoes and papers strewn across the floor before seating herself down on the bed next to him. "You really ought to get some rest, you know."

"Too cold," he croaked.

Kairi frowned slightly. "You've already got all the blankets in the house, though," she said, patting the pile of covers. "Tell me princess, if I put a pea on top of here, would you be able to feel it?"

"Hey, be nice," Sora grinned at her. Another gust of wind caused him to shiver so violently his teeth chattered.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" Kairi asked. She reached down to brush a strand of hair from his face.

"Yeah…" Sora said, reaching for her arm, "Keep me company for a little while?"

Kairi lying so close to him was warming, Sora found. Her head rested on his shoulder, and her arm was draped around him so she could pull him closer to her whenever a chill caused him to shudder. He was only able to doze for a few minutes, however, before the wind stole away what warmth he could muster. "I'm still cold…"

A voice from the window caused Sora to nearly jump out of his skin. "Scoot over."

Riku closed the window behind him, then peeled off his jacket and tossed it on the floor. Sora tensed slightly as he felt Riku's body lie close to his, and he could feel his face grow hot.

"There," Riku said, placing his arm over Sora so that his arm intertwined with Kairi's over Sora's chest, "Now you can't complain about being cold."

Riku was right. "Just like always," Sora mumbled, closing his eyes, surrounded in warmth.

--------------

"Ohh, look at how flushed he is, Riku," Kairi said worriedly. "Should I go get his mom?"

Riku smiled slightly, placing a hand on his sleeping friend's cheek. "Nah… I don't think he's flushing because of fever."


	2. Lucid

Prompt #25: "Choices"

Roxas and Sora

-o-o-o-o-

A man who can control his dreams is talented. A man who turns his dreams into sport is a genius.

**Lucid**

Bit by bit, his dreams became more lucid.

It wasn't much at first, really. One night Sora stood under a large tree in the middle of boundless grasslands, watching the leaves sway gently in the wind. To his great amusement, he discovered the leaves would change color to whatever he desired, and many dreams were spent turning leaves into every possible hue he could imagine.

Several nights later, Sora would curl his hand into a fist, and the tree wilted into winter dormancy, as if the branches themselves were crushing under his fingers. Months later, he could transition through seasons fluidly with a simple gesture.

Finally, after meticulous practice, he had gained complete control of his environment. Sora, the master of his own playground, turned around, one foot in snow, the other hidden beneath a sea of flowers… and let out a sigh of boredom. "Now what?" he wondered aloud.

Sora watched as his dream took control of itself again, and the tree melted into the gray and blue skies. He was suddenly indoors, and he realized then he was in the basement of Twilight Town's mansion. The white room was almost blinding compared to the shades of blue and the hazy grays he had been surrounded by previously. Sora glanced to his left at the pod, noticing now that maybe he had never lost control at all.

Sora had to admit he didn't expect to see his second half here. Roxas was absent the entire time Sora was teaching himself to bend the elements to his will, and he felt inclined to ask how, then, Roxas had learned how.

"Your dreams are boring," Roxas muttered simply, before Sora could even open his mouth.

Sora gaped for a minute, feeling a tinge of insult. "Well, thanks a lot! When did you learn to control dreams, anyway?"

"I'm you, remember?"

Sora didn't have a retort for that. "Fine then, Roxas", he said, a hand on his hip. "It's your turn to come up with a good dream."

Roxas looked thoughtful. "I want to meet the Cheshire Cat."

-------------

"_Fragility: permanence as a snowflake,_

_Brief as the stone's flight from air to lake,_

_Such as just what a man might make,_

_So fragile, in uttering its name it might break."_

Sora held the piece of paper in front of him, so that he and Roxas could both read it.

"What is this, a riddle?" Roxas asked.

"Well, you said you wanted to meet the Cheshire Cat. Everything's a riddle with him," Sora replied, shrugging.

The forest was eerily quiet. Roxas shook his head and sighed. "So, we're supposed to find something so fragile that saying its name breaks it?"

"Looks like it", Sora said. "That shouldn't be too hard, though. There's lots of stuff around here that breaks." He walked off deeper into the forest, looking around for clues.

Sora didn't remember the forest being quite so still. Not one animal jumped from tree to tree, not one leaf rustled in a breeze… Not one Heartless. Sora wondered to himself if the forest itself was what he was supposed to break. He lowered his gaze to the ground.

"Forest."

Nothing happened. Sora huffed a sigh of annoyance before continuing on.

--------------

An hour or so later, Roxas and Sora returned to the entrance empty-handed.

"What's so great about the Cheshire Cat, anyway?" Roxas grumbled. "Axel was so full of it…"

Sora grinned. "Want to call it quits? We could dream about something else if you-"

Roxas interrupted by clapping a hand on his fist. "I know the answer to the riddle." He held a hand out confidently in front of him. "This is our dream, after all…"

The Cheshire Cat slowly materialized, with Roxas holding him by the tail. "And since this is our dream, I can _break_ whatever I want."

Sora had never seen anybody punt something so far in his life. Roxas turned away, looking smug.

The stillness of the forest was immediately broken by the sound of the Cheshire Cat crashing through branches.


	3. Tomfoolery

Prompt #8 "Young"

Riku and Sora

-o-o-o-o-

Youth is waste on the young.

**Tomfoolery**

One evening, a boy still young enough to give his mother butterfly kisses settles himself into bed. He is exhausted, but grinning eagerly at the woman in the corner of the room while she thumbs through a bookcase.

"Tomorrow's gonna be great, Momma!" Sora declares, wiggling his toes under the blanket. His eyes shine bright as the summer sky, warming the room despite the cool, salty breeze slipping through the wooden planks of the wall.

She smiles at her son as she sits on the bed next to him, a book in her hand. "Are you excited to see where Daddy works at the pier?" she asks, tousling Sora's hair gently.

He slides onto her lap and reaches for the book she's holding. "Fish guts!" he giggles, seemingly more interested in the story he's about to hear than the idea of fish guts.

"That's right… Fish guts," she says quietly, "You're going to have so much fun, Sora."

Sora's heart flutters. Momma has no idea.

------

The next day, Sora bites his lip in anticipation of his chance to impress his best friend Riku. He is at the age where everything about him is neater to Sora: a year older than butterfly kisses, or so Riku claims. Today, Riku stands next to the docks, arms crossed, his stance as sturdy as the earth beneath him.

"Fish guts," Riku mutters, making a face in the direction of the fishermen working along the pier.

"Riku!" Sora has caught up by now. Riku turns and smiles at his younger friend in greeting.

"I didn't forget!" Sora beams, a little too excited. "I brought all of my munny and I think we should buy those candies I really like and-"

"Shush," Riku says harshly, "We're gonna get caught if you're so loud." Sora holds a hand over his mouth and nods vigorously.

"Listen, Sora," Riku says as he leans forward so he can whisper. "We gotta get to the marketplace without our dads noticing… Here's what we're gonna do."

Riku is the leader, and Sora follows, itching to impress.

-----

The marketplace is so much larger and intimidating without his parents to lead the way. Riku is taller than Sora, yes, but unlike his parents, Riku lacks the strength and confidence in his grip (not that he is willing to hold Sora's hand anyway). Sora quickly begins to feel less desperate to show off, and more frightened. "Riku? Let's go back."

Riku is much better at hiding his fear. "Relax, will you?" he says dismissively, trying to focus past the sea of adults in order to locate the cart selling candies. They are swamped; two young fish trapped in foreign waters, with unfamiliar creatures pushing their way around one another, so close together the surface is unreachable. Riku takes an unsteady breath.

"Riku…" Sora doesn't even care that his voice is wavering.

The crowd splits, revealing an empty cart; probably the fruit merchant's spare. "Look, Sora!" Riku exclaims, grabbing his friend's arm. "I'll give you a boost up there so you can see where the candy cart is, okay?"

Sora nods, relaxing a little.

A small argument and a slight scuffle later, Sora is standing on the wooden cart, a hand on his brow to shield his eyes from the sun. It's a relief to be as tall as the adults now; he has a chance to breathe again.

"Do you see it, Sora?" Riku's voice seems far away.

"Uh…" Sora squints slightly, looking around. "I see the fish stands, and there's the lady that sells the necklaces Momma likes… And look, there's Daddy!" Sora starts waving in his father's direction.

"What? Sora, get down or he'll see you!"

Sora quickly crouches inside the cart. Riku clambers behind the wheels. He notices an odd sort of handle attached to one of the cart's legs, and, against his better judgment, he grabs it and pulls. Click.

"Is he gone, Riku?" Sora hisses from the top of the cart.

Riku peers around the cart, unable to really tell from his current position. "Hang on," he murmurs, grabbing a hold of the cart's leg. "I can't see from here." He leans heavily on the cart, pulls himself up, and steps to the side to look around.

"Maybe we should go back to the pier…" Sora says quietly. "Daddy knows we're here."

Riku only nods before standing back to give Sora room to climb down. Sora carefully scoots himself off the side of the cart, meticulously plotting every step down. Click.

Sora's feet land solidly on the ground, and he turns to grin at Riku. "We'll get candy next time, right?"

"Right…" Riku huffs a sigh, leaning against the cart. Sora watches Riku for a minute before imitating his best friend, resting his hands behind his head as he leans back on the cart.

Click.

Both boys lose their balance and topple to their bottoms as the cart suddenly begins to roll, gaining momentum as it reaches a sudden slope downwards. Riku and Sora scramble to their feet and watch in horror as the renegade cart tears through the marketplace. The crowd splits like the ocean, as if the cart is a boat sailing too fast through the shallow waters of the docks. The cart's unintentional journey finally comes to an end when it crashes into another cart, creating a spectacular display of flying planks and goods.

Sora gulps. "At least we finally found the candy cart…"


	4. He is desperate

Prompt #5 "Hate"

Larxene/Sora; Namine/Sora

-o-o-o-o-

Hate is a powerful word. Save it for those who do true harm.

**He is Desperate**

One calm, quiet summer evening is unexpectedly torn apart. Loud noises, sparks, and harsh whispers float from the mansion, although the inhabitants of Twilight Town pay it no mind.

Tucked away in the basement, DiZ struggles with a malfunctioning computer. He curses quietly as the monitors before him flicker uncontrollably.

"What is the meaning of this?" DiZ mutters angrily, watching static dart across screens, distorting the vital data he is meant to be watching over.

Naminé stands to the side, watching. She is rubbing her arm gently, as if it were cold.

"She won't let go", Naminé murmurs.

---

In his mind, Sora is fighting. He swings the Keyblade at her with fury that burns his flesh; he strikes at her with a flame swelling from deep within his heart that guides his body into feverish, unrelenting attacks.

"What have you done?" Sora screams at her. "You made me forget something; what is it?" Larxene only smiles, with wild amusement lingering in the curl of her lips. Her reply angers Sora even further, and he charges at the Nobody, the source of his _hate,_ with the intent to utterly destroy her.

But Larxene simply laughs at him, and beckons him towards her with a slight motion of her fingers. "Come closer," she hisses, grinning. "I love how much you hate me." Sora regains control of his emotion and hesitates, glaring at her.

"Come on," Larxene says, motioning towards Sora again. "You've forgotten something very precious to you, right? A memory… It just_rips_ you up inside that you've forgotten, doesn't it?"

Hatred swells up in Sora's throat as if it were a bubble. Larxene continues. "I just know that _she _is devastated too, Sora. Don't you think it's time you stopped hurting her like this?"

The question hits him with a tangible force, and Sora stumbles back. His expression immediately softens.

"The only thing standing in your way…" Larxene says, straightening, "….is me. So come on already."

Sora raises the Keyblade again and dashes at Larxene. When he strikes, Larxene sidesteps out of the path of the Keyblade and swipes her knives, laced with an electric jolt, across Sora's face.

Sora skids backwards into the wall, the impact rattling his jaw. After several painful seconds, Sora staggers to his feet and, taking a deep breath, charges again.

----

Electricity dances across the adjoining monitors. DiZ turns and looks at Naminé expectantly. "What exactly do you mean by 'she won't let go'?"

Naminé lowers her head. "I have… made an error in unlinking the chains in Sora's memories, DiZ."

"What? How so?"

Her voice wavers. "I have… unlinked Sora's memories of me before I have unlinked his memories of Larxene. Now she's lingering in his mind, and using his memories against him."

DiZ shakes his head. "That doesn't make any sense, Naminé. Larxene is dead. There's no way she could be damaging my computers like this." He gestures towards the monitors, half of which have shut down completely.

"Hate is a powerful memory," Naminé replies. "Sora has forgotten someone very dear to him, but… he remembers his hate for Larxene. And he knows that Larxene has something to do with the person he's forgotten."

DIZ frowns. "The logical solution is, then, to unlink Sora's memories of Larxene before it causes any more damage."

Naminé makes a noise that sounds like a choked sob. "I can't", she stammers. "Sora is clinging to that hate in hopes of regaining what he's lost… He is desperate to remember the person he's forgotten. He's desperate to remember… me."

DiZ is less than pleased. "It will take me a few days to repair the damage to this system", he says, cold. "In the meantime, Naminé, keep Sora from destroying himself."

Naminé nods silently. She will fulfill her obligation to protect Sora, and yet she finds it difficult to avoid succumbing to her own selfish desires. Naminé reaches a grim realization: she is desperate to be remembered, just as Sora is desperate to remember.

In the pod room, Naminé smiles, flattening her palm against the pod where Sora sleeps. For now, she will relish in his desperation.


	5. Shoreline

Prompt #6: Water

Sora/Ariel

-o-o-o-o-

She is the ocean and he is the earth, and their bodies are interlaced like water drifting through sand.

**Shoreline**

Waves are rhythmic: similar to that of a heartbeat, but unlike a heartbeat, the movement of waves is a permanent rhythm; a never-ending cycle of water gently shaped by constant currents of air. And unlike the mechanics and workings of a heart, waves are usually predictable. A wave must eventually meet land, turning over itself and shattering like glass, refracting light and twinkling brilliantly as it spills over the sand. The moment a wave is formed, it is destined to find the shore, like how lovers are destined to come together, despite their differences, and form a harmonic unity.

It is at the shore, at the exact spot where the land and the sea collide, where Sora lies. He doesn't understand why the merfolk are so fearful of land, when their environment is constantly moving toward and interacting with it.

A red-haired girl next to him giggles softly. "Daddy will be so angry if he knows I'm here", she says. Their arms are intertwined, the sand underneath their hands slipping through their fingers as the force of the waves drag it towards the sea.

"I don't see why your dad doesn't like the land," Sora says, lifting his tail out of the water slightly, examining his fin. "It's really not that bad…"

Ariel sits up and leans over him, smiling. The ends of her bright hair brush against his shoulder and neck, tickling him slightly. Sora returns the smile.

"Oh, he just doesn't know anything about it, that's all," she replies. "That's why you're different than all the other mermen, Sora." She is leaning forward even further, their bodies pressing together slightly. "You're like me; you know how wonderful the people and everything on land is… And you even know what all those neat things I have are for… Like the whatchamacallit that combs my hair-"

"It's a fork, and you eat with it," Sora corrects her gently.

"You see? With you… We can show Daddy how great the land is, right?"

"Right." Sora tenses as she leans forward still, their breath mingling. She smells of fresh, flowery springs, despite living in saltwater.

"That's why," Ariel continues, "I'm willing to risk getting in trouble with Daddy for being right here… Right now. Because of you."

Sora inhales deeply, taking in her scent as if she is a newly bloomed rose. "It's completely worth it", he whispers to her softly. Anything is worth risking for this moment.

Even several hours later, the tide cannot wash away the imprint in the sand of two mermaids embracing.


	6. Presence

Author's note: Hey guys! This ficlet isn't actually part of this collection's prompt table (the link to which is in my profile), but I thought I'd stick it in here anyway so I didn't have to bother setting up an entirely new story. 8DDD Happy Valentine's Day!

* * *

Presence

Sora/Kairi

_Whenever his sleep was fitful, she would watch him, whisper to him, let him know she was there. And he would not stir until morning_

_----------- _

When his heart first acknowledged her presence, she suddenly found herself standing before him. The notion was bewildering, and she wondered if he understood what had really happened to her.

…No, he didn't. She couldn't help but laugh at his confused expression (she always did love the baffled faces he made). Perhaps his heart and mind were only truly connected when they were in agreement with each other.

She quickly began talking about the first thing that came to her mind, instead of what he was desperately trying to ask her. She wanted to tell him everything: where she was, what had happened, and that she was safe. She knew talking about home would only frustrate him, if not upset him.

But she couldn't tell him. Not yet. She didn't want him to do anything rash.

When his heart acknowledged her presence a second time, he met her in a dream, and they sat together on the docks back home. She could tell fatigue was overwhelming him; his heart was weakening, becoming more prone to darkness.

"Where are you?" he asked. "I've been looking everywhere for you."

She wanted nothing more than to tell him the truth. She smiled slightly, placing a hand over his.

"Silly… I'm right here."

When his heart acknowledged her presence again, he reached too far and he drew too close to her, unintentionally digging into private memories. He saw the only person she remembered from her old home, and he felt the amazement and wonderment and _everything_ that she could recall. He heard a story only meant for her; it was the only connection she had to her first world, her first life, her grandmother. She could hide nothing from him, not even the most personal of secrets.

She was embarrassed, but her memories gave him a newfound strength, and he was willing to continue for a little longer.

When his heart acknowledged her presence one final time, he was screaming for help. The darkness was simply too strong; his legs had given out and he had fallen to his knees. Someone had told him the truth, that her heart was sealed away in his, and he had accepted his fate for _her,_ as if his life was _nothing_.

She had to act quickly. She was _not_ going to lose him; she had to convince him to hold on for just a little longer…

His heart and mind heard her voice ringing clearly-

"Sora!"

-And her light enveloped his heart, and he suddenly had all the strength he needed.


	7. Changing Roles

Author's Note: Here is another one that isn't in the prompt table. xD Oh well.

* * *

Changing Roles  


With each world he visited, Sora had to assume different roles, and with each role came the need to accommodate a drastic change, either in appearance or mindset. The ocean was boundless to him once he mastered using unfamiliar muscles, and he was able to glide seamlessly through waters. His vision eventually adjusted to a mask positioned awkwardly on his face, and he was soon able to continue fighting even with the costume obstructing his vision.

The adaptations were easy enough. Some roles, however, were harder to adjust to than others.

He likened his new form to crawling along on fours. Sora thought his back end felt the strangest: his hind paws hit the ground where he believed his knees should; his tail was a strange addition that flicked around, unpredictable unless he felt irritated. His tentative first steps caught an uneven surface, and his muzzle hit the ground with a hard thump.

Not too graceful for a cat. He pushed himself up to his feet, glancing at his friends.

Sora had never really noticed their scents before. Goofy had a powerful, musky odor that reminded him of a grand, wise tree that stood tall and proud through the harshest of elements. Sora never thought he could associate kindness and loyalty with a smell. Donald's scent was sharp and thick like lemons and pepper, and its cutting bite reminded him of stubbornness and a powerful but amicable persona.

When he had finally steadied himself, they continued the trek to Pride Rock.

"You think they'll make me King?" Sora asked, eagerness building with every step, more confident than the previous.

"I dunno, Sora… Wouldn't that be meddling?" Goofy clearly had a much easier time adjusting to his new body, and he tread along steadily.

"Aw, it can't hurt to at least find out." Sora stopped abruptly, having reached a stretch of smooth rock along the grasslands. Sunlight streamed through the haze in beams, warming the rock and the air around it.

"I… Just a second…" Sora ran his paws along the rock, and then stepped around in a tight circle before stretching out across the ground.

Several moments of silence passed. Goofy glanced up at Donald as Sora rolled onto his back, paws extended lazily in the air.

"Uh… Sora?" No response.

Donald flapped his wings angrily as he landed on the ground next to Goofy. "_You_ wake him up."


End file.
